Shelley Neilsen Gatti, special education professor at the University of St. Thomas School of Education, recently spoke with WCCO Radio about a $6.8 million SEED grant that will be used to support students pursuing teaching degrees.
From the interview:
“We’re really excited about our newest federal grant from the Department of Education. It’s going to provide 120 scholarships annually, ranging from $10,000 to $20,000 for each individual graduate student to start with. And we are leveraging our partnerships with a variety of different districts – mainly St. Paul Public Schools. ...
Specifically, this grant will not only reduce some of the barriers around the finances to becoming teachers, but we are also reducing the barriers of time and also providing opportunities for students to be embedded in their school districts, which provides increased and enhanced preparation, which increases retention in teaching, which is also a huge issue around special education teacher shortages.”
